The life’s work of Rafael Robertson was the focus of an open mike session at the Birdsong panyard on Wednesday last. The irony of the occasion was that it would take Raf’s death for us ‘see’ and appreciate some of the very important aspects of his earthly contribution.  But then again  - Is it really so ironical?  Consumed as we are with imperatives of every day living, there is a natural tendency to focus on the details as opposed to the big picture. ‘Too busy doing nothing” may be an extreme description of our daily priorities, but the finality of death has a tendency to force us to take the time to ‘see’ that which seems so invisible in the normal course of things.   

Like everyone else Raf’s life’s journey would have been inspired by personal goals and ambitions. It seems that the love affair with music began quite early for the unassuming La Brea lad with the bright smile. By the time he reached secondary school he was already involved in playing in gigs on the southern musical circuit with the Solid 7 combo.  From south Trinidad Raf journeyed to London to study music, but more importantly to broaden his horizons, by dint of his exposure to a music industry that was so much more developed and defined than the one he knew. 

Touring the world with Eddie Grant would, no doubt, have further expanded Raf’s musical worldview in some important ways. Guyanese born Eddie Grant, had proven that it was possible for Caribbean artistes to aspire to be at the pinnacle of world music. Additionally, Eddie Grant also demonstrated by his example, that Caribbean artistes could and should play a proactive role in the business side of their industry. 

When Raf returned to Trinidad and Tobago after his sojourn abroad he must have bought with him an individual notion of where he wanted to take his career musically.  However, initially, there had to be a period of adjustment because Trinidad and Tobago’s fledgling music industry could not provide many of the inputs were more readily available in the more developed world. Brother Resistance in his tribute to Raf at Birdsong described this period as a “grumpy period” in which Raf was not shy of expressing his frustrations.

The theme of Relator’s tribute to Raf at Birdsong was conflict and resolution in Calypso. In the context of Raf’s journey, Relator’s choice of theme was most apt, in that somewhere along the line Raf’s frustrations with the local music industry gave way to a resolution. Whether that resolution was conscious or unconscious only Raf would know. But it seems that a belief in the talent and capacity of the next generation was an essential component of Raf’s musical resolution.

Raf’s interaction with Nyol Manswell and Deriann Dyett and the other youngsters of the Birdsong Academy reenergized him and gave him a platform and a purpose to be proactive even in the face of daunting odds. His exposure on the international circuit, playing with some of the world’s top musicians meant that Raf knew about standards and what had to be in place to achieve those standards. In the young people in the Birdsong Academy, Raf recognized the potential to be world-beaters and he set about to structure and nurture the youthful talent to this end.

The point is that the frustrations of Raf’s ‘grumpy period’ derived from his strong conviction that Caribbean music and Caribbean artistes belonged on a world stage if only they dreamed about it, planned for it and put the infrastructure in place to make it happen. While some paid lip service, the truth is that there were not many believers and therein lied the frustration.

Young people, by contrast have not experienced enough of those frustrations to be cynical. They gravitate naturally to that which gives them fulfillment and enjoyment. And so resolution for Raf was to share his dream and his conviction about the integrity of the Caribbean experience with the generation next and to invest them with the tools and the vision to carry the whole process forward.

Resolution meant for Raf that he was always involved in a project, a current project, a past project yet to be completed and another one on the drawing board.  His last published CD Majesty represented his view that while we tend to look outside for inspiration and validation, we can achieve the same by looking inwards.  As such Raf took calypso out of its carnival template and explored its essence by combining varied Caribbean voices in non-traditional ways. 

His unfinished project with Pamberi came from his analysis that the international jazz circuit could be a niche market for steelband and Caribbean musical expression. Towards this end Raf assembled an eclectic group of musicians with a Pamberi steelband ensemble as a focal point: Terrance Shaw, Tony Woodroffe, Vonette Bigford, the Bishop Anstey High School Choir, Prashant and Sharda Patesar and of course Raf on keyboards, to which conglomeration he was in the process of adding some Brazilian strings at the time of his death. On the CD this conglomeration explored jazz standards from the likes of John Coltraine, Duke Elington, Chick Corea and Stevie Wonder from the USA, Chano Dominguez and Joaquin Rodrigo from Spain, Djavan and Antonio Carlos Jobim from Brazil as well as Chano Pozo from Cuba. Those persons who have been privy to the tracks that were laid down will get a sense of Raf’s vision for Caribbean music. A vision that accepted no artificial boundaries, a vision that was predicated on the validity of the Caribbean experience, a vision that demonstrated that excellence is not a ‘first world’ concept and a vision that was always looking for a place for Caribbean music on the world stage.  

Still on the drawing board was a project which involved doing an analysis of the music of the Steelband Panorama from its inception to the present. 

Inspiring the next generation, interrogating our musical traditions, creating new products, analyzing our musical history, setting up the industry infrastructure, resolute, optimistic, uncompromising, unassuming and always smiling, Rafael Robertson we salute your contribution and your belief in us as Caribbean people and we pledge to do our best to finish the ‘Unfinished Symphonies’ left pending by your abrupt departure. “Rafael Robertson wherever you are compere, just for you we come out with real fire this year” and for the years to come.  Farewell brother rest in peace!